Celtic Music: Listen & Download Gaelic Song and Music, Free!

Celtic music - listen and download these beautiful Gaelic song and music sheets for piano, free!

This piece is VERY BEAUTIFUL. It is one of the most moving melodies I know. I can listen to this piece, or play it, over and over. My favorite version is performed by Alasdair Fraser & Paul Machlis in their recording "The Road North" (see the video below the free sheet music links) - there is great artistry in their playing, to make you weep!

If G minor is too hard for your piano student, have them approach it in the key of Am. No black notes!

But Gaelic Melody is more beautiful in Gm... Why? It just IS. Probably because our ears tire of always hearing only white notes, which most beginners focus on. And even if you don't have perfect pitch, your musical ear memorizes frequently heard tones, making the less-used notes sound fresh.

The tricky thing for a young pianist with this melody is WAITING long enough through the held notes, and not rushing to the next beat. Very important, and a good skill.

The short mordents (or TURNS) and the grace notes may be new skills for your students to learn. Though they seem very easy when you have been playing piano for years, coordinating the hands together with the right rhythm can be puzzling to young students. I suggest learning the basic melody first, measures 1 - 8, then adding them in. Some students may not notice the additional markings; others will be keen to understand them.

Play through this melody multiple times as a teacher, so you can help your young pianist decide just where the ornamental notes should happen: ON the beat? BEFORE the beat? Left hand is always ON the beat, very steady.

Help them to SEE the chords they are playing in the left hand. Make them tell you what it is, and even notate them above beat 1 of the measure (not in the center of the measure!) or Beat 3, in those few measures where the harmony changes mid-measure. Can they tell what a chord is when the bass note is not the root of the chord? There are a few of these involved in the walking bass lines.

Watch their fingering - students should be adept at arpeggios in order to play this piece with strength.

This piece is an excellent opportunity to stress left hand chord tones with great emotion, allowing the broken chords to build with a sweep of sound. Let the bass notes be very evident, without overwhelming the high melody. The movement of the bass line downwards and then back up is very exciting - help them to FEEL it.

Completing the LH broken chords in part 2 may be hard to do in rhythm; if your student can't play Beat 4 and still make it to left hand Beat 1 of the next measure on time, just drop that 4th beat note and use the new "rest" to move to the next measure.

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Miggy, United Kingdom:I've just found your website and I think I've died and gone to heaven. I've just taken up the piano again after 35 years absence... buying sheet music was getting expensive/a luxury. The tips are great too. I also live in the middle of nowhere so buying from a shop is not really an option unless I fancy a 120 mile round trip for a piece of sheet music!

Darla:Thank you for sharing the free downloads of piano music for piano students. I use your site frequently. My son has decided that the Keegan's Waltz arrangement you have is the best song ever written for piano.

Cheri in Vancouver, BC:I was looking for sheet music for She Moves Thru the Fair since I'm beginning both mandolin and uke. I got far more than I bargained for reading your notes on this one song. Very insightful.

Elania:I have been slowly giving my oldest daughter whatever my memory can dredge up, scouring the internet for free music she can do, but your website with its instructions AND tips on how to teach pieces are going to help me SO much in this endeavor. I just wanted to tell you thank you. Really really! THANK YOU!